I’m an avid user of QuickBooks – and I think many of my colleagues are as well. That’s why I was really pleased to see Lane Gorman Trubitt come out with “Helpful Tips for QuickBooks Software” in the CPA firm’s latest newsletter, LGT Financial Focus.
Keyboard Shortcuts
- Ctrl+A – Chart of Accounts
- Ctrl+F – Find Window
- Ctrl+W – Write Checks Form
- Ctrl+I – Create Invoice Form
- Ctrl+T – Memorized Transactions List
The following are keyboard shortcuts that only work when your cursor is in a date field.
- T – Today
- + – Advances one day at a time
- – – Moves back one day at a time
- M – The beginning of the month
- H – The end of the month
- Y – The beginning of the year
- R – The end of the year
Finding Related Transactions
When looking for records that pertain to any specific transaction such as related deposits, payments applied to an invoice or a check that pays a bill, simply open the transaction in question and click the “History” button or Ctrl+H on your keyboard. This will open a window with a list of all transactions related to the initial query.
Adding Filters Before Generating Reports
When running reports in QuickBooks you can save yourself a considerable amount of time by applying filters before generating your reports by selecting “Preferences” from your “Edit” menu. Once in “Preferences”, choose the “Reports & Graphs” option. Under the “My Preferences” tab, click the checkbox that says “Prompt me to modify report options before opening a report”. This will allow to set your filters before QuickBooks takes time generating a report with information you don’t need.
Moving Report Columns
You’d be surprised how many users don’t realize they can move columns in a generated QuickBooks report. Once the report has been generated, simply move your cursor to the heading of the column you would like to move. You cursor will change to a hand. Hold down the ‘left click’ button on your mouse and drag the column where you would like to drop it. When you see a red arrow appear between the columns, release your ‘left click’ button and the column will be inserted in its new position.
